Commentary

Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. All other material represents the opinion of the authors. Deadline for submissions is the 10th of every month.

The Metropolitan retains the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar and punctuation. Letters without a signature will not be printed. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of any department or college, the university, the state university system, the student body, or The Metropolitan.

Letters to the Editor
Metropolitan State University 5th Civic Engagement Conference:
Religion, the University, and Public Life
- A student’s reflection

Metropolitan State University held it’s fifth annual Civic Engagement Conference Thursday, Nov. 9 in the Ecolab Community Room, St. Paul Campus.

This year’s topic was Religion, the University and Public Life.

As I entered the room, I found an impressive layout of food—meats, cheese and vegetables with dip, juice, flavored bottled water and coffee. I jumped in line to get my share due to the large number of students and facility in attendance. It wasn’t long before the Conference started.

President Wilson G. Bradshaw started the conference with an introduction, welcome and presentation of the Civic Engagement Award.

As interesting as this was, I was there to see and hear the university voices, which was next on the agenda. Each individual on the panel was given time to introduce themselves to the audience.

The introductions took about 10 minutes per person, so we ended up with about 40 minutes of talking heads. While I’m sure some people found this to be interesting, I wasn’t impressed.

I felt that by the end of the introductions that I had just been to a witnessing of an individual’s faith in Jesus Christ.

It is fine that individuals have faith, but I wasn’t going to a Christian revival; I was going to a conference that I thought was going to reflect the diversity of the university.

After the introductions were finished, I inquired as to where the religious studies program was and how many individuals have taken a class in religious studies. The glib answer that was given was: The religious studies program was asked to attend but didn’t.

What? They were asked to attend and this conference was on religion, the university and public life?

Upon further investigation, I learned that they were invited via email only one week before the event. It appears to me that Civic Engagement may need to start right at the university with the different programs interacting with each other.

Let me be honest here, I have a great respect for people of faith. I believe that faith is at the base of all learning. It is a motivator for most students at Metropolitan State University.

Yet this conference fell short in allowing the diversity of Metropolitan State University’s students to speak, or for the university to have its diversity expressed.

Don’t have a panel of only Christians; and if there is someone that is of a different religious background, let it be known. There are Buddhist, Native American, Hindu and Spiritual-Living students on campus.

If asked far enough in advance, I believe that they would have come forward to say something regarding their faith and how it interacts with the university and the community.

I understand that it is only the fifth year for this conference, yet there are many resources available right here at the university. It appeared to be short-sighted and one-sided.

It sounds like I am blasting this whole conference but I’m not. Bottom line, this is maybe one of the most important thoughts that we need to have dialogue about — to better our understanding of our views of God, faith and living our lives so that others can understand us better.

Maybe this is what being educated is all about—learning to live together, to understand each other’s views and to be OK and safe with this whole process.

-- Steven Iverson